Ball ejecting amusement device



Oct. 2, 1956 N. H. SANGER BALL EJECTING AMUSEMENT DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 15, 1954 FMELEEI R m m m BYNORMAN H SANGER W, M m

ATTORNEY BALL EJECTING AMUSEMENT DEVICE Norman H. Sanger, Columbus, Ohio Application February 15, 1954, Serial No. 410,264

2 Claims. (Cl. 273-129) My invention relates to a ball ejecting amusement device. It has to do, more particularly, with a device which can be used for the amusement of several persons simultaneously and the functioning of which depends both upon chance and the skill of the persons or players using the device.

The amusement device of this invention consists mainly of a housing which has an inclined upper wall that has a number of apertures therein arranged in a predetermined manner. At the upper end of the upper wall of the housing there is mounted on the housing a device which contains the playing pieces in the form of small spheres or marbles. These pieces can be ejected one-by-one by proper operation of the ejecting device and when ejected will roll down the upper inclined wall into certain of the apertures, pins being provided on the wall which tend to deflect the marbles away from or into certain apertures. Skill is a factor in directing the marbles into certain apertures since the ejecting device can be moved to direct or aim the marbles towards certain apertures. Some of the apertures are sufficiently large to permit the marbles to drop therethrough while others will receive and retain the marbles and the final positions of the marbles on the upper wall or within the housing usually will determine the winner of the game. The ejecting device in itself is of novel structure and can be used in other amusement devices.

The preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts and wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of an amusement device in which my invention is embodied.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the device of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a lower end view of the device.

Figure 4 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical sectional view through the unit which ejects the playing pieces used in the amusement device.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the lower end of the device showing the usual final resting place of the playing pieces.

Figure 6 is a detail in enlarged vertical section illustrating the outlet portion of the playing piece ejecting device and the functioning thereof.

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 4 but showing a modification of the playing piece ejecting device.

With reference to the drawings, I have shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, an amusement device which consists mainly of two units, the housing 10 and the ball or marble ejecting and directing unit 11. The housing is of substantially rectangular form in plan, as shown in Figure l, and is provided with a downwardly and forwardly inclined top wall 12, as shown in Figure 2. The unit 11 is mounted above the top wall 12 at the rear or upper end thereof.

The top wall 12 is provided with a series of apertures of selected sizes and in a predetermined arrangement. They are preferably arranged as indicated in Figure l, and consist of the two uppermost laterally aligned apertures 13 and 14, sufficiently large to permit the balls to drop nite States Patent 0 "ice through them, the next lower laterally aligned apertures 15 and 16 which are of such size that the balls will not drop through them but may lodge in them, and the lowermost aperture in the form of a slot 17 extending substantially the full width of the top wall. Three pins 18 disposed in triangular arrangement between the two uppermost apertures 13 and 14 and the next lower apertures 15 and 16 are provided for directing the balls away from or into the openings 13, 14, 15 and 16.

After the balls drop through any of the apertures 13, 14, and 17, they will strike a downwardly and forwardly inclined partition 20 in the housing 10. This will direct the balls to the lower end of the partition at the point of the housing where a notched receiver 21 is disposed on the top surface of the partition. This receiver is provided with a series of notches 22 any of which may receive one or more of the balls after they drop into the housing and roll down the inclined partition 20.

The ball ejecting unit 11 is in the form of a housing which has a chamber 25 formed therein for receiving and retaining the balls or playing pieces 26 until they are ejected. The chamber slopes downwardly and forwardly and is designed to contain any selected number of balls 26. The balls are normally retained in the chamber 25 by a retaining lip 27 at the forward end thereof as shown in Figure 6. This lip is less in height than the radius of each of the balls 26 which are of uniform size. The housing of the unit 11 is pivoted for lateral swinging to the housing 19 by means of a bolt 28 which pivotally connects the unit to a U-shaped spring, the lower leaf of which is attached to the top wall 12 of the housing 10. The upper part of the unit 11 is formed with a knob or button 30 by means of which the unit may be pushed downwardly to eject the balls as will be apparent later. The unit 11 may be grasped to swing it bodily about pivot 23 to selectively direct the balls 26 when they are ejected from the forward end of the chamber 25.

The means for successively ejecting the balls comprises a leaf-spring 31 which is fastened to the bottom of the unit 11 and which has an upturned end 32 and a U-portion 33 which is shown as normally resting on the upper wall 12 of the housing 10 but which could be normally spaced thereabove. The end 32 extends up into a slot 34 in the bottom of the chamber 25 adjacent its forward end. This slot 34 is located behind the lip 27, as shown in Figure 6, a distance greater than the radius of the foremost of the balls 26. To eject the lowermost ball 26 in chamber 25, it is merely necessary to press downwardly on the forward end of the unit 11. This will push the end 32 of spring 31 upwardly through the slot 34, engaging the forwardmost ball 26, lifting it upwardly and over the lip 27 and allowing it to drop onto the wall 12 and start rolling down it towards the apertures. As indicated before, the unit 11 may be directed laterally to attempt to have the balls avoid either of the apertures, 13 and 14, and to settle in either of the apertures 15 and 16, the latter being more difiicult, since the pins 18 will ordinarily deflect them too far to one side or the other. Most balls which miss the apertures 13, 14, 15 and 16 will ultimately fall through the slot 17 but some may roll past the ends of slot 17 off the lower end of the housing. The balls which do enter the housing 10 will roll down the partition 20 until they lodge in the device 21. Any desired rules may be made and each player may use several pieces or balls. To provide slight inhibitions and to determine the final positioning of the balls 26 in the retaining device 21, a removable lid 35 may be provided at the lower end of the wall 12.

In Figure 7, I have illustrated the unit 11a provided with different means for ejecting the balls. In this instance, the ejecting spring is replaced by a plunger 32a. When the forward end of the unit 11a is pushed downwardly against the action of:the spring 29a, the lowermost'ball -taining.

Having thus described my invention, what I claimis: 1. A ball ejecting device for use in an amusement device comprising a housing having a ball-receiving chamber formed therein and extending forwardly and rearwardly thereof, means for supporting said housing so that the forward ,end of said chamber is normally lower than its rear end, said supporting means being yieldable to permit further downward movement of said forward end of said housing towards an adjacent supporting surface, said supporting means comprising atleaf-spring shaped into U- form and extending forwardly with its upper arm attached to said housing and with its lower arm attached to said adjacent surface so that it will serve as a support for the rear end of said housing, said housing having an upstanding lip at the forward end of said chamber for engaging and stopping the forwardmost ball therein, and a leaf spring section attached to the lower side of said housing and having a ball ejecting and extending downwardly to said adjacent surface and then upwardly into but not through an opening in the bottom of said chamber which is spaced behind said lip so that downward movement of the forward end of said housing engages the downwardly extending portion of said leaf spring section with said surface and forces the end of the spring upwardly through said opening to liftthe forwardmost ball in said chamber over said lip and thereby discharge itfrom the forward end of said housing.

2. A ball ejecting device for use in an amusement device comprising a housing having a ball-receiving chamber formed therein and extending forwardly and rearwardly thereof, means for supporting said housing so that the forward end of said chamber is normally lower than its rear end, said supporting means being yieldable to permit further downward movement of said forward end of said housing towards an adjacent supporting surface, said supporting means comprising a leaf-spring shaped into U form and extending forwardly with its upper arm attached to said housing and with its lower arm attached to said adjacentsurface so that it will serve as a support for the rear end of said housing, said housing having an upstanding lip at the forward end of said chamber for engaging and stopping the forwardmost ball therein, and a vertically movable ball ejecting member having a lower portion for engaging said surface and an upper end extending into but not through an opening in the bottom of said chamber which is spaced behind said lip so that downward movement of the forward end of said housing engages the lower portion of said ejecting member with said surface and forces its upper end upwardly through said opening to lift the forwardmost ball in said chamber over said lip and thereby discharge it from the forward end of said housing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

